Improvement in mail-bag catches



G. F. SHAVER. Mail-Bag Catch.

No. 195,956. Patented Oct. 9, 1877.

N.PETERB. PHOTO-LITKOGRAPMER, WSHINGTON. D C.

ATTORNEYS.

BYM

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. SHAVER, OF MOOBHEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELFAND MOSES D. TENNANT, OF WESTFIELD, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lN MAIL-BAG CATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,956, dated October9, 1877; application filed September 1, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. SHAVER, of Moorheadville, county of Erie,and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Mail-BagCatcher, of which the following is a specification:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a car to which my improvement hasbeen applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is adetail section, showing the rear end of the angular arm and its longbrace. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the swiveled and hinged hook. Fig. 5is a top view of the groimd-crane. Fig. 6 is a side view of theground-crane.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to furnish an improved device for takingmail-bags upon and delivering them from a railroad mail-car while inmotion, and which shall be simple in construction and reliable inoperation, taking up and delivering the mail-b ags with certainty andwithout injuring them.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, ashereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing, Arepresents a mail-car. B is an angular bar, the reararm of which works in eyebolts or other bearings attached to the sideofthe carA, at therear side of the doorway. The angular bar B isstrengthened by the long straight brace O, the forward end of which ispermanently attached to the forward end of the bar B, and its rear endis detachably attached to the rear end of said bar B, so that it can bedetached to allow the bar B to be removed and reversed when the car isto be run the other endforward. The frameB O is further strengthened bythe cross-brace D, one end of which is attached to the angle of the barB, and its other end to the center of the brace O, and by the inclinedbraces E, one end of which is attached to the brace O at the end of thebrace D, and their other ends are attached to the bar B upon theopposite sides of its angle. To the bar B, near its forward end, isattached a short rod, F, which projects to the rearward between the saidbar B and the brace C, and is designed to receive a ring formed upon theend of the bag G to be delivered. The forward end of the frame B O D Eis supported in a horizontal position to support the bag to bedelivered, and to receive the bag to be taken up by the jointed lever H,which is hinged at its joint to a rod, I, working in eyebolts or otherbearings attached to the side of the car A, in such a position that thelever H may work through the doorway of the car. The inner arm of thelever H is weighted to support the frame B O D E and the mail-bagsuspended from it. J is a hook, which is hinged to a pin swiveled to thethreshold of the car A directly beneath the jointed lever H. The hook Jis designed to receive a ring attached to the lower end of the mail-bagG". K is a crane attached to the ground at the side of the track, andwhich is provided with two arms, LM. The upper arm, L, is rigid, and isstrengthened by a brace. The lower arm, M, is connected with a roundedpart of the post of the crane by a strap or other means, so that it sideof the arms L M are pivoted the inner ends of two bars, N, the outerends of which project beyond the ends of the arms L M, and are designedto receive the rings attached to the ends of the mail-bag O to be takenup by the car. To the upper side of the end of the lower arm M isattached a T-headed pin, P, for the lower bar N to rest against. To theside of the outer end of the lower arm M is attached the end of areversible rod, Q, which has a V-loop formed upon it, and which isdesigned to receive the bag to be delivered from the car.

With this construction, as the cars approach the station, the bags G 0being suspended, as hereinbefore described, the bent rod Q, takes thebag G from the frame B G D E by passing between its middle part and thecar, and the frame B (J D E takes the bag 0 from the crane K L M Nbypassing between its middle part and the post K. The momentum of thebag Gr causes the arm M to swing around upon the post K, and themomentum of the car causes the bag 0 to slide along the inclined outerarm of the bar B, knock away the outer arm of the lever H, and beprojected into the car, where it strikes against a curtain, R, suspendedwithin the car, and having its lower can swing aromid the said post. Tothe upper end weighted, so that the momentum of the bag may be checkedwithout having the contents of the said bag injured.

Having thus fully described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. The angular bar B, strengthened by thebraces C I) E, and working in bearings attached to the side of the earto receive the bag to be taken up, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

2. The jointed and weighted lever H and its rod 1, in combination withthe angular frame B C l) E, to support the bag to be delivered,substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The join ed and swiveled hook J, in combination with the angularframe B U 1) E, and the jointed an d weighted lever H and its rod I, tohold the lower end of the bag to be delivered, substantially as hereinshown and described.

4. The combination of the bent rod Q, with the swinging arm of the craneK, to receive the bag to be delivered, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

GEORGE FREDERIO SHAVER.

Witnesses Ross KNIGHT, THOMAS M. KNIGHT.

